New MODA Minister Outlines Plan to Build Taiwan AI Ecosystem

Taipei: Lin Yi-jing, who assumed the post last week in a Cabinet reshuffle, said the Ministry of Digital Affairs aims to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem in Taiwan as part of efforts to strengthen the country's industrial environment. According to Focus Taiwan, Lin said the ministry will implement measures covering computing, data usage, talent cultivation, marketing and funding to help develop software capabilities in Taiwan. Lin said as a first step MODA will provide GPU computing to AI startups in Taiwan free of charge to support model training and development. The ministry will revise laws to allow civil servants to release government data that contain no sensitive or personal information, and plans to establish a Taiwan sovereign AI training databank for startups to use. On talent development, Lin said MODA will release guidelines on AI professional recognition to serve as a foundation for training organizations and employers and to expand the local AI talent pool. Lin said MODA will help AI developers market their products and find business opportunities in the health care, long-term care and manufacturing sectors and aims to help startups secure orders quickly. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has planned NT$10 billion in financial assistance for AI startups to invest in growth and marketing, with a goal of helping them compete in foreign markets and potentially pursue stock market listings. MODA will work with private firms to improve cybersecurity resilience and establish a cybersecurity supply chain by leveraging Taiwan's role in cybersecurity and integrated circuit industries. The ministry has tightened regulations to block fraudulent advertisements and developed technologies to prevent fraud, and Lin said MODA will seek cooperation on the issue with Google, Meta and LINE. He said those companies have to join the government to fight fraud and cannot be bystanders when doing business in Taiwan. Lin said MODA will continue to promote the Taiwan Digital Identity Wallet policy, which wil l provide a mobile app for storing and managing personal information and identity, improve protection of personal privacy and boost Taiwan's efficiency as a digital economy.